Combined shelf and hanger means and improved support therefor



June 14, 1960 v. LA BONIA ETAL 2,940,600

COMBINED SHELF AND HANGER MEANS AND IMPROVED SUPPORT THEREFOR OriginalFiled June 5, 1956 INVENTORS Wnceni' LaBoru'a EOh/Z W- P84 1 Z A T'TORNEY6 COMBINED SHELF AND HANGER MEANS AND IMPROVED SUPPORT THEREFOR VincentLa Bonia', North Haven, and John W. Platt, West Haven, Conn, assignorsto The Platt 8; Labonia Company, North Haven, Conn, a corporation ofConnecticut Original application June 5, 1956, Ser. No. 589,542, nowPatent No. 2,870,916, dated Jan. 27, 195 9. Divided and this applicationSept. 16, 1958, Set. No. 761,320

Claims. (Cl. 211-90) This invention relates to an improved shelfconstruction and more specifically to a combined shelf and hanger meansand improved supporting means for removably and rigidly supporting thecombined shelf structure to suitable supporting surfaces.

This application is a division of our copending application Serial No.589,542, filed June 5, 1956, now US. Patent No. 2,870,916, dated Jan.27, 1959.

Heretofore, shelves having dependingly connected clothes hangers weredirectly secured to a supporting surface, and as a result, had thedisadvantage of not being readily removable therefrom as for cleaning,storing or the like.

Another disadvantage common to a combined shelving and hanging meansheretofore known was that the clothes hanging portion of the shelfdepended below the mounting portion and was simply suspended in space.As a result, the load capacity of the hanging means of the priorconstruction was greatly reduced, the capacity load capable of beingcarried thereby being limited solely to the ability of the suspendedhanger means to resist the turning moment of the same about its point ofconnection to the shelf when a load was applied thereto as by supportinga plurality of weighted hangers thereon. For this reason the clotheshanging portion of the shelf of prior constructions was readilysusceptible to deformation and damage when excessive loads were appliedthereto.

An object of this invention is to provide an improved shelvingconstruction whereby a combined shelf and hanger means is supported on asuitable supporting surface by novel brackets so that the combined shelfconstruction is rendered readily removable without the use of any toolof any kind.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined shelf andhanger means having improved supporting brackets therefor provided withmeans for supporting the hanger means so as to resist deformationthereof in the event excessive loads are applied to the hanger means.

A feature of this invention resides in the provision that the improvedcombined shelf of this invention is relatively simple in construction,inexpensive to manufacture and positive in operation.

Another feature of this invention resides in the provision that thecomponents of the improved combined shelf construction are formed ofsheet metal parts which are easily fabricated as by blanking andstamping.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter be apparent from thespecification and claims when considered with the drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a detail perspective view having a portion thereof brokenaway.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4-4- of Fig. l.

nite states atent ice In the form'of the invention shown in'Figs. 1 to4, the combined shelf and hanger means comprises a pair of slidablynested complementary sections 81 and 82 which are adapted to betelescopically adjusted between a minimum and maximum range. While theshelf may be a full width shelf, i.e. one extending for the full widthof the support therefor, the partciular form of theinvention illustratedherein is directed to a half-shelf construction.

Accordingly, the hanger means 83 of each section is formed integraltherewith along the forward longitudinal edge with the hanger means ofone section being adapted to be slidably received within the hangermeans of its complementary section. Also, along the rear longitudinaledge, each section 81, 82 is provided with cooperating, complementary,inwardly turned depending flange portions 31a, 82a. Thus the hangermeans and rear flanges of one section form the rail means for slidablyreceiving the cooperating portions of its complementary section. Whileonly two such sections are illustrated, it will be understood that morethan two sections may be so telescopically connected together.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the outer end portions of the adjustableshelf are provided with a depending flange 84 which extends slightlybeyond the end portion of the hanger means 83 and rear flanges 81a, 82a.

The supporting means 85 by which the adjustable shelf illustrated issupported to a suitable planar supporting surface 86 comprises anelongate bracket 87 substantially longer than the width of the shelf 80comprising a mounting portion 88 provided with apertures 89 forreceiving suitable fastening means 90. The upper portion 91 of thebracket is provided with a laterally offset portion spaced from thesupporting surface 86 as shown in Fig. 3. Extending along the lowermarginal portion of the bracket there is provided an inturned flange 92.Thus, as illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3, the shelf is removably supportedon the brackets by simply positioning the end flanges 84 in the spaceformed between the laterally offset portion 91 of the bracket and thesupporting wall 86, the end portion of the hanging means 83 adapted tobe supported on the flange 92 of the bracket. Consequently the flange 92supports the bottom portion 83a of the hanging means which tends toresist the turning movement of the hanger 83 when a weight is appliedthereto, thereby preventing deformation of the same when an excessiveload is applied thereto.

With the construction of the present invention, the shelf 80 is renderedreadily removable simply by lifting the shelf vertically so as to freethe end flanges 84 from the upper end of the brackets. Also it will benoted that the combined shelf and hanger means 80 may be readily movedtransversely along the bracket members so that it may be positionedtransversely thereof as desired.

The combined shelving, hanger and 'supports herein described isrelatively simple in construction, consisting of relatively very few,simply and easily fabricated parts and arranged so that the shelf can bereadily removed for purposes of cleaning or storing without the use ofany tools, and furthermore the novel bracket means cooperate with thecombined shelving and hanger means to resist the tendency of the hangingmeans from turning about its point of connection to the shelf when aload is applied thereto. Further, it will be noted that the supportingflanges of the brackets are provided with apertures 93 for removablyreceiving auxiliary garment hooks (not shown).

Variations and medications may be made within the scope of the claimsand portions of the improvements may be used without others.

We claim:

1. A combination shelving and hanging means and suptherefor; comprisingan adjustable shelf consisting of a pair of slidably nested sheet metalsections adapted to be telescopically adjustable between theminimummaximum range thereof, said seetion having hanging meansdependingly connected thereto adapted to support a; plurality of garmenthangers thereon, "said depending h a nging m eans being nested so as tobe coextensivefwith' the adjustment of said shelving sections, andsupporting rneansincluding'a;paii of elongate brackets having a mountingportion atthe'top' thereof for supporting said adjustable shelf betweenjplanar supporting surfaces of 'the shelf disposed at and perpendicularto the ends of. said shelves, said supporting means having an inturnedflange surface disposed at and perpendicularto the ends of said shelves,saidmounting portion having an upper portion thereof laterally oifset tospacesaid upper portiontfrom 1 spaeed below the mounting portion forengaging and supunder and supporting the ends of said depending hanging7 means so as to prevent turning of said hanging means when a load isapplied thereto as by hanging a number of Weighted garments thereon.

3. vAn improved bracketior removably supporting a combined shelf anddepending clothes hanger contiguous therewith comprising an elongated'mountingportion adapted to be supported-to a suitable supportingsurface, said mounting portion having an upper portion laterally ofisetto space said upper portion from said supporting surfacetand aninwardlytturned flangei adjacent the lower edge coextensive therewithand projecting therefrom a distance to form a supporting flange forsupporting thereon said contiguous, depending clothes hangerwhen saidshelf is supported on said lateral offset portion of said bracket. 7 i Vv l 4. The invention as defined inclaim 1 wherein said hanging meanscomprises J-shaped channel members.

said supporting surface so that said downturned flange'of 1 saidshelfmay .be received in said space for removably supporting the shelfon said ofiset upper portion, said mounting portion having an inturnedflange extending a 1 5. The invention as defined in claimz2 wherein thehanging means comprises a J-shaped member integral with said shelf andlocated along one edge of said shelf.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED ST ATES PATENTS i617,164 Iev vett 'Jan. 3, 1899 1,996,515 Howell Apr. 2, 1935 2,005,5 93Onions, June 18, 1935 2,527,216 Harris Cd. 24, 1950 2,678,793 Brochstein.Q May 18, 1954 2,720,316 7 Glascott Oct. 11, 1955

